Skip to main content

Full text of "Syntax Magazine"

See other formats


SYNTAX 


Serving  Timex-Sinclair 
Personal  Computers 


A  PUBLICATION  OF  THE  HARVARD  GROUP 


VOL. 5  NO. 6 


ISSN  0273-2696 


JUNE  1984 


IN  THIS  ISSUE 


8K  Programs 

Cantilever  Beam  Calc ,..3 

TS2068  Programs 

Color  Plot . 9 

Char.  Set  Rotation . 7 

Book  Reviews 

TS2  068  Tech.  Manual .... 8 

Classified  Ads . 11 

Dear  Editor . 6 


Hardware  Reviews 
AERCO  Centronics 
Printer  Interface. .. .10 


New  Products  and 
Services . 2 

News . 1,3 

Software  Reviews 

Easy  Math . 2 

Music  Library . 4 

TSTIS  Products 

Catalog . 8 

VU-CALC . 5 

Vendor  Report . 2 


Index  to  Advertisers 


MODEM  CHANGE  IMPROVES  TEMP  PERFORMANCE 

SYNTAX  had  heard  that  2  05  0  MODEMS  stopped  at 
high  temperatures,  but  the  manufacturer  says 
this  problem  no  longer  exists.  Westridge, 
the  maker,  points  out  that  the  failures  at 
160  F  ambient  were  above  the  rated  range 
anyway.  Nonetheless,  a  resistor  change 
raised  the  temperature  at  which  errors  occur 
40  F  above  the  rated  operating  temperature. 
With  this  change,  you  can  run  at  110  F! 

SMART  TERM  II  PACKAGE  IN  TESTING 

Those  of  you  waiting  for  the  advanced  MODEM 
software  should  soon  be  able  to  get  it  for 
the  2050  MODEM.  Westridge  is  testing  the 
package  now.  Once  testing  is  done,  the 
manual  can  be  written  and  you'll  be  on  your 
way  to  full-function  telecommunications. 

AI  APPLICATION  TO  BE  IMPLEMENTED  ON  QL 

Sinclair  Research  just  announced  a  medical 
advisor  package  now  being  written  for  the  QL. 
This  package,  based  on  a  book  approved  by  the 
AMA,  will  also  undergo  AMA  review  prior  to 
release.  Users  will  be  quizzed  on  symptoms 
and  advised  to  take  appropriate  actions. 

NEW  PRODUCTS  IN  DEVELOPMENT 

SYNTAX  will  follow  these  development  projects 
for  you.  SoftSync's  2068  version  of  Arctic's 
disassembler  expected  midsummer.  Hawg  Wild's 
FORTH  and  graphics  packages  for  2068.  And  an 
expander  for  2068s,  expected  to  provide  RGB  & 
RS-232  output,  disc  controller,  &  64K  of  add¬ 
on  memory.  Plus  a  source  of  Chameleon  ROMs. 

SYNTAX  SURVEY  RETURNS  FLOOD  IN 

Thanks  for  the  help.  Early  readings  say  that 
SYNTAX  needs  ZX/TS  applications  &  utilities, 
for  which  we  need  submissions.  Details  later 


Byte-Back  Co 


10 


VENDOR  REPORT 


SOFTWARE  REVIEW 


Starburst  Software  has  a  new  name 
(Vessellware,  2214  Horine  Rd., 
Festus,  MO  63028)  and  sells  6 
different  16K  tapes.  Send  a  20 
cent  stamp  to  them  for  more  info. 

NEW  PRODUCTS  AND  SERVICES 


APR  Software  announces  ZX-CALC,  an 
electronic  spreadsheet  with  a  15  by 
30  matrix  (450  cell  grid  max.),  8 
characters  per  cell  (3360  chars, 
max.),  all  ZX/TS  functions,  cursor- 
oriented  entry  and  deletion,  cell 
data  alignment,  vertical  windowing, 
absolute  and  relative  replication, 
special  sum  function  and  autocalc 
feature.  It  can  output  to  the 
TS2040  or  ZX  Printer,  and  sells  for 
$11.95  (tape  with  instructions), 
from  APR  Software,  1605  Penna. 

Ave.  #204,  Miami  Beach,  PL  33139, 
305/531-6464  (Req  32K,  can  use  64K) 

Raedata,  Inc.  announces  its  new  bi¬ 
monthly  publication,  Micro-ROOTS, 
at  $24.95  per  year.  The  new  News¬ 
letter/Journal  is  for  the  microcom¬ 
puter  user  (at  any  level,  and  any 
type  of  micro)  who  is  also  inter¬ 
ested  in  his  family  roots  and 
history  (as  well  as  the  serious 
genealogist).  The  first  issue  will 
contain  articles  on  getting  started 
with  your  family  roots,  genealogi¬ 
cal  software  reviews,  user  group 
activities,  search  for  family 
roots,  book  reviews,  archival  re¬ 
search  techniques,  a  query  column, 
and  a  calendar  or  events. 

RaeData  also  plans  a  computer¬ 
ized  bulletin  board  system  within 
three  months,  and  an  information 
forwarding  service. 

Contact  RaeData,  Inc., 
MicroROOTS,  14208  Weeping  Willow 
Dr.,  Suite  #32,  Wheaton,  MD  20906, 
301/460-0754. 

WHEN  WRITING  TO  VENDORS... 

Or  when  you  call,  mention 
SYNTAX.  We  can't  grow  without  you. 


Program; 
Machines : 
Form: 

RAM  Req; 

Listing; 

bistable; 

Language; 

Display; 

Author ; 

From; 


Easy  Math 

ZX/TS 

Cassette 

16K 

No 

Yes 

BASIC 

Fair 

Simulusion 
Simulusion 
POB  2382 
La  Jolla,  CA 
619/454-1023 


92038 


Easy  Math  essentially  turns 
your  system  into  a  calculator,  with 
formulae  storing  ability  and  a  26 
item  user  stack.  It  can  calculate 
using  all  of  the  ZX/TS  math  func¬ 
tions,  and  can  recalculate  multiple 
times  automatically. 

It  may  not  be  so  easy  to  fig¬ 
ure  Easy  Math  out.  The  commands 
make  sense  once  you  get  the  general 
idea  behind  the  system,  but  you  may 
get  confused  entering  your  formulae 
and  data.  Simulusion  adds  to  the 
confusion  by  packing  so  much  infor¬ 
mation  on  the  screen  (see  sample). 
Then  again,  everything  you  need  to 
see  is  on  the  screen  all  the  time. 
You  can  have  more  than  one  applica¬ 
tion  in  memory  at  a  time,  but  they 
do  not  interact. 

If  you  need  full  math  ability. 
Easy  Math  may  be  the  easy  way  out. 


2 


NIGEL  SEARLB  SHOWS  QL  AT  BCS 

Following  a  press  dinner  with 
reporters  from  Byte,  Business  Week, 
the  Wall  Street  Journal  and  ESPN's 
Business  Times  as  well  as  others, 
Nigel  Searle  demonstrated  the  QL's 
features  and  power  to  the  General 
Meeting  of  the  Boston  Computer 
Society,  The  New  England  Life  Hall 
was  packed  as  Sinclair's  new  design 
demonstrated  multitasking  with  four 
simultaneous  displays  of  separate 
programs,  generated  a  multicolor 
display  &  changed  all  the  colors  in 
one  wipe  with  a  BASIC  command,  and 
scrolled  information  between  two 
boxed  areas  of  the  screen  while  the 
rest  of  the  screen  stayed  unchanged 

Major  QL  technical  specs  were 
reported  in  SYNTAX  (Jan. 84  p.l)  but 
some  new  info  became  available.  A 
second  processor,  an  8049,  runs  the 
keyboard,  sound,  RS-232  receive,  & 
realtime  clock  functions  using  an 
11  MHz  clock.  Data  from  the  micro¬ 
drive  are  available  within  7  sec. 
Adding  more  than  one  accessory  to 
the  expansion  buss  will  require  an 
expander  box,  but  the  full  68008 
buss  is  available  at  the  deeply 
recessed  card-edge  connector.  The 
expansion  memory  (0.5  Mbyte)  plugs 
in  here  and  appears  to  be  supported 
to  prevent  wobbles.  The  built-in 
Local  Area  Network  runs  on  2  wires 
at  100  KBaud  speeds  and  can  talk  to 
Spectrum  machines. 

Bundled  software  includes  a 
word  processor  that  shows  bold  type 
with  color,  underlines  on-screen, 
displays  sub-  &  superscripts,  and 
changes  the  margins  in  real  time. 
Abacus,  the  spreadsheet,  lets  you 
refer  to  rows  or  columns  by  name — 
the  name  you  assigned — such  as  AMEX 
or  VISA.  You  can  also  name  a  row 
with  a  function — RATIO=VISA/CASH — 
and  Abacus  installs  the  formula  in 
every  column.  Also,  you  can  assign 
constants  to  rows  or  columns  with  a 
single  command,  row=0.33.  And  get 
16-figure  accuracy — ten  trillion 
dollars  to  the  penny.  Archive  lets 
you  construct  multi-file  relational 


databases  using  84  commands.  Easel 
rounds  out  the  set  with  a  graphics 
program  to  present  data.  This  is 
also  a  what  you  see  is  what  you  get 
chart  maker  with  labels — no  charts 
in  one  file,  labels  in  another 
here.  All  these  programs  contain 
the  same  expression  evaluator  for 
formulas,  a  decided  advantage.  And, 
all  programs  can  export  or  import 
files  to  and  from  the  others. 

Shipments  of  QLs  began  in  the 
UK  in  late  May — 1000  machines/week. 
Production  at  Thorn-EMI  will  build 
to  2  0,000  machines/month  in  summer 
and  Sinclair  will  be  bringing  on 
another  supplier  late  this  year, 
Acording  to  Nigel  Searle,  plans  are 
to  ship  500,000  machines  worldwide 
in  1984  and  1,000,000  machines  in 
1985.  In  June,  Sinclair  will  start 
shipping  to  30  countries.  In  July, 
the  QL  will  go  to  the  FCC  for  test 
and  approval  for  US  sales.  Expect 
the  machine  here  in  the  4th  quarter 
via  mail  order  sales.  Other  sales 
channels  may  not  be  set  up  until 
the  middle  of  1985, 

Third-party  software  will  be 
slow  in  coming  for  the  QL  because 
it  takes  time  to  learn  how  to  use 
its  power.  Nigel  says  US  vendors 
are  writing  for  this  machine  now. 

CANTILEVER  BEAM  CALCULATION — 8K/16K 

This  program  calculates  the 
deflection  of  a  cantilevered  beam 
loaded  to  maximum  safe  load  at  the 
free  end.  Do  not  use  these  results 
for  construction  or  where  their  use 
could  endanger  anyone,  unless  you 
are  competent  to  evaluate  the 
results  yourself.  Many  factors, 
such  as  moisture  content,  method  of 
fixing  the  beam,  wood  quality,  etc. 
affect  the  load  and  deflection  of 
the  beam.  I've  made  limited  tests 
on  some  beams  and  found  the  answers 
surprisingly  accurate. 

Enter  the  program,  RUN,  and 
answer  the  questions.  Results  are 
only  significant  to  one  decimal 
place.  Wood  is  of  the  select,  15% 
moisture  variety. 


3 


In  building  construction  de¬ 
flection  usually  doesn't  exceed 
1/360  of  the  length  of  the  beam,  so 
for  most  beams,  the  maximum  safe 
load  never  gets  tested.  Consider¬ 
ing  that  the  formulae  used  here  can 
have  error  up  to  50%  (for  reasons 
previously  mentioned),  I'm  glad! 

R.  A.  Pick,  Port  Townsend,  WA 


SOFTWARE 

REVIEW 

Program; 

Music  Library 

Machines ; 

ZX/TS 

Form: 

Cassette 

RAM  Req: 

16K 

Listing: 

Yes 

Listable: 

Yes 

Language; 

BASIC 

Display; 

Good 

Author : 

Kendric  C.  Smith 

From; 

Kendric  C.  Smith 
927  Mears  Court 
Stanford,  CA  94 

Price ; 

$14 

Music  Library  provides 
database  management  program  with  a 
convenient  format  for  organizing 
your  music  collection.  It  allows 
you  to  store  three  32-character 
lines  of  information  on  100  or  more 
recordings  of  music.  You  decide 
how  to  use  the  threee  lines,  such 
as  name  of  artist  on  line  1,  album 
name  on  line  2,  and  favorite 
selections  on  line  3.  The  program 
menues  provide  you  with  options  to 
enter,  correct,  delete,  save, 
display  or  print  items  on  file. 

Two  special  features  set  this 
program  apart  from  others  like  it. 
You  can  alphabetize  (and  renumber) 
the  records,  and  you  can  search  for 
any  word  in  any  line. 

Music  library  can  be  easily 
modified  to  adapt  to  your  needs. 
This  can  allow  you  to  change  the 
trade-offs  between  user-friendly 
features,  space  available  for  data, 
and  processing  speed.  The  well 
written  manual  comes  in  a  full-size 
format  and  gives  numerous  tips  on 
modifying  the  program.  I  increased 
the  number  of  albums  from  100  to 
175  by  deleting  the  third  line  of 
each  data  record,  redimensioning 
and  putting  all  my  data  for  each 
album  on  two  lines. 

Omnisearch,  the  routine  to 
search  for  any  word  anywhere  in  the 
record,  runs  slow  but  works.  I 
could  speed  it  up  by  searching  only 
the  first  line,  but  I  like  the  way 
it  works  enough  to  tolerate  the 


4 


delay.  It's  great  to  be  able  to 
not  only  ask  for  a  list  of  all 
albums  by  a  particular  artist,  but 
also  to  list  the  various  artists 
who  have  recorded  the  same 
"classic" . 

As  you  make  modifications  to 
the  BASIC  program,  a  simple  GOTO 
statement  will  tell  you  how  much 
useable  memory  is  available  for 
data.  The  manual  is  so  friendly 
and  detailed  that  it  becomes  nearly 
a  tutorial  on  programming  in  BASIC, 
with  each  routine  explained  along 
with  suggestions  for  possible 
modifications . 

I  recommend  Music  Library  for 
those  of  you,  like  me,  who  have  so 
many  record  albums  and  tapes 
scattered  about  that  you  don't  know 
what  you  have  or  where  to  find  it. 
In  fact,  the  program  could  be 
easily  adapted  to  any  type  of 
collection,  such  as  photographs  or 
computer  cassettes. 

Dennis  J.  Parker,  Sunnyvale,  CA 


SOFTWARE  REVIEW 


Program: 
Machines : 
Form: 

RAM  Req: 
Listing : 
Listable : 
Language : 
Display: 
Author : 
From: 

Price : 


VU-CALC 

TS2068 

Cassette 

48K 

No 

Only  BASIC  part 
MC  and  BASIC 
Excellent 
Psion 

Timex  Computer  Corp. 
and  other  suppliers 
$24.95 


Only  the  name  of  this  program 
resembles  the  ZX/TS  VU-CALC.  This 
version  occupies  37K  when  resident 
without  any  data.  Due  to  its 
design,  large  tables  use  very 
little  additional  memory. 

Timex's  manual  for  this 
spreadsheet  program  leaves  much  to 
be  desired,  but  Psion  wrote  such  a 
good  program  that  you  get 
comfortable  very  quickly.  Formulae 


can  include  simple  arithmetic  and 
sums,  as  well  as  constants  and  cell 
references . 

You  can  enter  text  by  typing  a 
quote  first,  then  the  text  and 
ENTER.  Constants  and  formulae  can 
be  typed  directly  (followed  by 
ENTER).  Commands  (accessed  via  the 
#  key)  include  calculate,  edit 
formula,  format,  load,  save,  print, 
repeat,  blank,  transfer,  and  quit. 

Repeat  allows  replication  of 
lines,  titles,  data,  or  formulae. 
Transfer  moves  sections  around 
without  changing  them.  Format 
allows  you  to  specify  integer, 
money,  or  general  display  format, 
right  or  left  justified.  Text  mode 
allows  28  characters,  some  of  which 
will  spill  over  to  adjacent  cells. 

If  the  program  dumps  you  out 
to  BASIC,  you  type  GOTO  9000  and  it 
shows  the  cell  which  generated  the 
error.  Hit  ENTER  and  you  can 
continue  to  work  on  the  worksheet. 
Do  not  ignore  this  part  of  the 
directions:  you  may  lose  your  data. 

VU-CALC  fixes  column  width  at 
7  characters,  which  can  be  a 

serious  limitation  if  you  deal  with 
sums  of  money  over  $9999.99.  The 
ZX/TS  version  handled  8  characters, 
a  slightly  more  realistic  size. 

VU-CALC  contains  a  bug  which 
makes  formulae  impossible  to  enter 
after  exiting  to  the  main  menu  and 
selecting  option  2,  clear  entire 
worksheet.  To  correct  this  bug, 
follow  these  instructions. 

LOAD  the  VU-CALC  tape,.  Edit 
line  3200,  inserting  one  CLEAR 
statement  at  the  beginning  of  the 
line.  SAVE  "Vcalc"  LINE  1 0  on  a 
fresh  tape.  Now  rewind  the 
original  tape,  and  LOAD  ""CODE. 

This  will  load  in  the  title  screen. 
Save  this  on  the  new  tape  after  the 
VU-CALC  BASIC  section  with  SAVE 
"S"SCREEN$.  Finally,  SAVE  "V'CODE 
29327,36000  to  put  the  VU-CALC 
machine  code  on  the  tape.  This 
tape  will  take  longer  to  load  than 
the  original. 

John  Slattery,  Chatham  Twp,  NJ 


5 


DEAR  EDITOR: 


Who  knows  how  to  bank  switch 
the  TS2  068?  Can  I  use  my  Memotech 
64K  RAM  on  it? 

Ernest  Clark,  Louisville,  TN 

Timex’s  TS2068  Technical  Manual 
(see  review  this  issue)  contains 
all  you  ever  wanted  to  know  about 
bank  switching.  Your  Memotech  RAM 
may  be  useful  as  a  bank-switched 
memory,  but  would  require  substan¬ 
tial  modifications  to  the  address 
decoding  hardware  to  work. 


I  am  having  no  luck  getting 
Firstloader  [SYNTAX  Dec'83]  to 
work.  I  have  rechecked  the  code 
and  it  is  as  listed.  Use  of  my 
Winky  Board  doesn't  help. 

John  Harkreader,  Jacksonville,  FL 

Be  sure  to  position  the  ZX/TS  tape 
near  the  end  of  the  5  second  quiet 
leader.  If  your  tape  is  very 
noisy,  it  will  not  load.  Try 
loading  it  on  a  ZX/TS  machine  and 
saving  through  the  SAVE  filter  of 
the  Winky  Board.  If  this  still 
doesn't  work,  suspect  a  bad  Winky 
Board:  try  Firstloading  without  it. 
If  the  results  are  identical,  you 
probably  need  a  new  Winky. 


As  an  enthusiast  of  the 
ZX/TS,  I  am  resubscribing  to  SYNTAX 
in  full  knowledge  of  Timex's  recent 
decision  to  withdraw  from  the 
market.  Furthermore,  I  plan  to  buy 
a  TS2068  very  shortly,  despite  the 
fact  they  may  be  in  short  supply. 

Timex  made  mistakes  in  their 
marketing  efforts,  and  they  are 
paying  the  price.  I  am  confident 
that  Sinclair  (or  an  enlightened  US 
firm)  will  pick  up  and  improve  on 
Timex's  efforts.  Carry  on. 

Glenn  McClung,  Denver,  CO 

Sinclair  Research  in  the  US  will 
not  support  Timex  products  and  is 
concentrating  on  their  new  QL. 


Where  can  I  get  a  listing  of 
the  ROM  in  the  TS2068? 

Gerald  McKouen,  Lansing,  MI 

Once  again,  the  TS2068  Technical 
Manual  contains  ROM  entry  points 
and  other  technical  information, 
however,  no  listing  of  the  ROM. 

The  Spectrum  ROM  listing  is 
available  from  Melbourne  House  in 
the  UK,  but  no  equivalent  book  can 
be  purchased  in  the  US. 


I  am  in  complete  agreement 
with  Thomas  Woods  of  Jefferson,  NH, 
but  I  think  all  serious  ZXers 
should  take  full  advantage  of  the 
fine  bargains  offered  by  these 
panic  striken  vendors.  I  am  trying 
to  do  so,  and  I  realize  I  may  run 
afould  of  a  vendor  who  is  a  ripoff 
artist. 

So  far  I  have  gotten  my  Zebra 
Light  pen  (14  days  from  mailing  my 
order  in).  I  still  have  orders  for 
a  K2  Kradle  Keyboard  and  64K  RAM,  a 
computer  control  center  from  MBR 
Distributors  of  Deerfield,  IL,  and 
an  EPROM  chip  for  my  Hunter  Board 
from  ROMPAK  of  Los  Angeles  (two 
weeks  and  still  waiting...  and 
they're  practically  across  town). 

ZX81s  are  actually  very  small, 
very  inexpensive  computers  that  can 
do  most  anything  you  ask  of  it, 
slowly.  It  is  a  lousy  game  player 
because  it  is  slow  and  has  very 
crude  graphics.  But  it's  so  cheap 
that  it  can  be  entirely  dedicated 
to  one  task  (I  have  a  system 
devoted  to  rental  management  and 
accounting  for  a  27  unit  apartment 
complex).  There  are  thousands  of 
applications  that  now  attract 
thousand  dollar  systems  that  can  be 
operated  for  under  $400,  I  am 
always  willing  to  talk  business 
with  the  ZX/TS.  It  has  remarkable 
data  storage  capacity  within 
strings.  With  fast  LOAD  utilities 
it  even  stores  and  loads  reasonably 
quickly  on  cassette. 

Terry  Hardenbergh,  Pasadena,  CA 


CHARACTER  SET  ROTATION — TS2068 

This  machine  code  routine 
allows  you  to  rotate  the  character 
set  in  any  of  four  directions,  with 
or  without  mirror  imaging  it. 

To  enter  the  routine,  type  in 


the 

first  listing  and  RUN. 

Then 

input  each  of  these 
ing  left  to  right): 

numbers 

(read- 

033 

000 

252 

001 

000 

252 

197 

221 

033 

08  0 

251 

006 

001 

022 

008 

229 

014 

000 

126 

160 

04  0 

002 

203 

193 

203 

001 

121 

035 

021 

032 

243 

221 

119 

000 

221 

035 

225 

203 

000 

048 

228 

035 

035 

035 

035 

035 

035 

035 

035 

2  09 

229 

033 

08  0 

251 

001 

008 

000 

2  37 

176 

225 

213 

124 

254 

255 

032 

197 

193 

2  01 

033 

000 

061 

017 

000 

252 

001 

000 

003 

2  37 

176 

2  01 

When  you  are  through,  put 
a  tape  in  the  cassette  and  record 
the  routine  (you  can  GOTO  50  again 
to  make  more  copies  on  the  tape) . 

Now  enter  the  second  listing 
and  RUN.  You  should  see  the  output 
shown  here. 


To  use  the  program  in  your  own 
applications,  first  LOAD  the 
machine  code  tape,  then  make  sure 
your  program  contains  a  CLEAR  64255 
at  the  beginning.  Add  a  call  to 
the  initialization  routine  followed 
by  two  POKES  to  set  up  the  new 
character  set  (lines  40  and  50). 

To  rotate  90  degrees  counterclock¬ 
wise,  call  the  rotate  routine  (line 
60).  Four  rotations  will  bring  you 
back  to  the  original  character  set. 

To  get  mirror  imaging,  first 
POKE  64281,9,  then  call  the  rotate 
routine  once  and  POKE  64281,1. 

This  will  rotate  once  and  mirror 


image.  One  more  rotation  will  get 
you  a  mirror  image  of  the  normal 
character  set. 

So  that  you  may  start  rotating 
from  a  known  point,  you  can  call 
the  initialization  routine  (line 
40)  at  any  time  to  get  the  normal 
character  set  back. 

When  you  execute  the  init 
routine,  the  program  copies  the 
standard  character  set  at  3D00  to 
RAM  at  FC00.  If  you  want  to  rotate 
a  different  character  set,  load  it 
into  FC00-FF00  and  do  not  call  the 
initialization  routine. 

Keep  in  mind  that  when  you 
rotate  the  character  set,  only 
subsequently  printed  characters 
will  reflect  the  rotation,  because 
the  TS2068  has  a  real  bit-mapped 
screen  display. 

This  routine  can  be  relocated, 
but  it's  not  easy.  Change  absolute 
16  bit  addresses  at  locations 
64257,  64260,  64308,  and  64328  to 
reflect  the  relocation.  You  must 
leave  the  character  set  starting 
256  bytes  from  the  origin. 


7 


BOOK  REVIEW 

Title : 

TS2068  Personal  Color 
Computer  Technical 
Reference  Manual 

Authors: 

Corcoran  and  Branigin 

Pages: 

Approx.  350  Looseleaf 

Machines: 

TS2068 

From: 

Timex  Materials  Sales 
Division 

POB  1378 

Little  Rock,  AR  72203 

Price: 

$2  5  ppd 

We've  already  told  you  that 
everyone  who  owns  a  TS2068  should 
buy  this  book  [SYNTAX  May *84]. 

Even  if  you  never  need  this  book, 
it  will  increase  the  resale  value 
of  your  2068  because  it  describes 
the  entire  system  in  intimate 
technical  detail. 

If  you  don't  program  in 
machine  code  or  understand  digital 
electronics,  this  book  probably 
won't  be  to  useful  to  you.  It 
assumes  a  great  deal  of  prior 
knowledge  about  computers  and 
electronics . 

But  if  you  need  to  know  about 
how  the  CPU,  ROM,  RAM,  sound  chip, 
joysticks,  keyboard,  display 
hardware,  cassette  ports,  or  any 
other  facet  of  the  hardware  works, 
or  you  need  pinouts  for  any  of  the 
connectors  inside  or  outside,  or 
you  need  to  understand  how  the  ROM 
cartridge  software  gets  loaded,  or 
how  the  operating  system  calls 
work,  or  how  the  machine  interfaces 
to  available  Timex  hardware,  you 
will  want  a  copy  of  this  book.  It 
also  contains  sections  on  known 
bugs  in  the  TS2068  ROM  (some  of 
them  rather  obscure)  and  listings 
of  machine  code  packages  for  doing 
80,  64,  and  40  column  displays,  and 
movable  graphic  blocks  (sprites). 

It  even  includes  a  PCB  layout 
(including  solder  mask)  for  an 
EPROM  board  for  the  dock  connector. 

If  you're  serious  about  your 
2068,  or  just  to  increase  resale 
value,  this  book  is  well  worth  the 
price.  It  tells  it  all. 


SOFTWARE  REVIEW 


Program: 

Machines: 

Form: 

RAM  Req: 

Listing: 

Bistable: 

Language: 

Display: 

Author : 

From: 


Price : 


TSTIS  Products  Catalog 

TS2068 

Cassette 

48K 

No 

Yes 

BASIC 

Good 

Don  Barnard 

Timex/Sinclair  Training 
Information  Service 
POB  15214 

Red  Bank,  TN  37415 
615/877-6328 
Mon-Fri  l-6pm  EST 
$3  ppd 


Finally,  a  computer  program 
that  doesn't  even  need  to  be  a 
computer  program!  TSTIS  sells  this 
cassette  not  as  a  program  so  much 
as  a  catalog:  each  biweekly  update 
lists  over  180  different  books, 
software,  and  hardware  packages 
from  major  TS2068  suppliers. 

You  can  order  half  of  what's 
listed  directly  from  TSTIS,  with  a 
5%  discount  if  you  order  more  than 
2  items  and  a  10%  discount  if  over 
4  items.  TSTIS  adds  a  shipping 
charge  of  $1.50  +  .25/item,  and 
accepts  only  money  orders  (no 
checks).  TN  residents  must  add 
7.25%  taxes.  If  you  want  an  update 
of  the  catalog,  you  return  your 
cassette  (or  another  blank  10 
minute  tape)  with  your  order. 

Advertising  in  the  TSTIS 
products  catalog  is  free.  One  side 
of  the  tape  lists  TSTIS  products 
and  the  other  side  lists  other 
products,  including  information  for 
ordering  directly  from  suppliers. 
TSTIS  limits  listings  to  10  lines 
of  32  characters. 

You  can  subscribe  to  the  TSTIS 
products  catalog  for  6  months  for 
$12  (12  bimonthly  updates).  You 
must  return  the  old  tape  to  receive 
the  latest  update.  Single  updates 
cost  $1  with  cassette.  TSTIS  asks 
that  you  order  a  copy  at  $3  to  look 
it  over  before  subscribing. 


8 


COLOR  PLOT — TS2068 


Use  this  program  for  drawing 
lines  or  circles  anywhere  on  the 
screen.  If  you  use  a  joystick,  you 
can  move,  change  color,  and  draw 
circles  all  at  once.  If  you  use 
your  keyboard,  you  can  only  enter 
one  command  at  a  time.  RUN  the 
program  and  push  k  for  help. 


Joseph  D.  Reigada,  Modena,  NY 


9 


HARDWARE  REVIEW 


Product:  Centronics  Printer  I/F 

Machines:  TS2068 
Price:  $69.95 

From:  AERCO 

POB  18093 
Austin,  TX  78760 
512/331-0719 

This  interface  plugs  into  the 
back  of  the  TS2068  and  provides  a 
cable  with  a  standard  Centronics 
parallel  printer  connector. 

Coupled  with  driver  software,  it 
enables  the  TS2068  commands  LPRINT 
and  LLIST  to  output  directly  to  a 
parallel  printer,  and  provides  the 
same  function  as  COPY  (but  not  via 
the  COPY  command). 

AERCO's  board  comes  uncased 
and  without  an  extender  for  the 
TS2068  bus  (in  fact,  the  connector 
on  the  board  only  mates  with  the 
ZX/TS  compatible  pins).  Therefore, 
this  interface  must  be  the  last 
plug-in  on  the  bus. 

You  must  LOAD  a  cassette  con¬ 
taining  the  print  driver  program 
before  using  the  interface.  This 
program  will  patch  into  LPRINT  and 
LLIST,  but  you  must  change  all 
occurrences  of  COPY  in  your  pro¬ 
grams  to  LPRINT  CHR$  1.  Changing 
MC  programs  to  COPY  through  this 
interface  presents  even  more  of  a 
problem:  you  must  replace  the  COPY 
calls  in  the  MC  to  jump  instead  to 
AERCO's  routine.  For  programs  with 
little  modification  documentation, 
this  can  be  almost  impossible. 

Deciding  to  use  CHR$  1  as  the 
code  for  copy  screen  in  the  printer 
driver  was  unfortunate;  LLIST  out¬ 
put  occaisionally  contains  this 
code.  When  it  does,  a  copy  of  the 
screen  will  be  inserted  in  your 
listing.  To  avoid  this  problem 
(which  AERCO  calls  a  bug  in  the 
TS2068),  follow  the  instructions  to 
disable  the  CHR$  1  function  and 
call  the  AERCO  COPY  routine  via 
RAND  USR  64628. 

AERCO  provides  a  number  of 
important  and  often  overlooked 


In  Stock!  NEWMD-2B  KIT 

SMART  modem  $119“ 

ASSEMBLED  &  TESTED  $149.9^^^..  HI  i< 

Now  With  Both  I 

ORIG./ANS.  ; 

»  Send  Text  from  MomofV  1 

•  Send  and  receive  f^ograms  by  Ph' 

•  Copy  Information  into  menrxxy 
Print  it.  Review  it.  Save  it  on  Tape^ 

•  Use  Timex  2040  Printer  or  RS-232 

•  RS-232  Printer  Port  provided  | 

•  No  extra  memory  Required. 

See  Review  in  Feb.  '84  SYNTAX  •  2  FREE  Hours  on  COMPaSCT 

COMPUSERVE  PACKAGE  WITH  5  FREE  HOURS  ONLY  $39.95 

NEW  MD-68  FOR  THE  2068 

SAME  FEATURES  &  SAME  PRICE  AS  THE  MO-2B 

64-K  MEMORY  $109.«5  k.t  iSS^sScket 
the  ULTIMATE  MEMORY”  assembled 

SEE  REVIEW  IN  JANUARY  ’84  SYNTAX 

KEYBOARD  without  case  . . . .  . $39.“ 

GORILLA/BANANA  PRINTER  ,  $199.“ 

7Y  DDr\  /Cll  C  Cassette  &  Book  $16.95 

fcA  IL.C  including  shipping 

Clearly  the  Best  File  Management  Program  Avaiable. 
NEW  PRO/FILE  2068  including  shipping 

A  new  version  of  the  Popular  ZX  PRO/FILE  Program  with  many 
new  features  for  the  2068.  Includes  a  100  Page  Manual. 

RS-232  PRINTER  INTERFACE  Only  $59.“  KIT  $69.“  ASSEMBLED 
CONTROL  MODULE  8  relays,  8  inputs.  $59.“  KIT  $69.“  ASSEMBLED 

BYTE  BACK  CO. 

RL  3,  Boa  147,  Brodto  Road 
Lm«vUI«,  8.C.  2M70 
ORDER  PHONE  •03-532-5312 
Add  $4.95  aMppIng  and  handling 
•0  Day  Warranty  On  All  Modulat.  10— Day  Raturn  Prtviladga 


features,  however.  You  may  tell 
the  printer  driver  program  to 
expand  TS2068  tokens  out  to  their 
word  equivalents  (for  LLIST),  or 
tell  it  to  send  all  codes  unaltered 
(for  direct  printer  control).  You 
can  customize  the  COPY  routine  for 
four  different  types  of  bitmap 
printer  code  systems  (covering 
Gorrilla  Bananna,  Seikosha  GP100, 
Prowriter  8510,  Star  Gemini  10X, 

All  Epson  models,  and  Mannesmann 
Tally  Spirit  80).  Other  options 
include  automatic  linefeed  after 
carriage  return,  use  TS2040 
printer,  and  settable  printer 
width.  You  can  add  AERCO's  printer 
driver  to  your  own  programs  using 
instructions  included  with  it. 

Most  of  the  drawbacks  of  this 
interface  are  minor.  It  works  well 
and  shows  enough  forethought  to 
make  you  believe  that  the  features 
they  left  out  were  left  out  for  a 
reason  (like  price/performance), 
not  because  they  never  thought  to 
include  them. 


10 


SYNTAX  is  published  monthly  by  a  wholly- 

owned  subsidiary  of  The  Harvard  Group. 

Syntax  ZX80,  Inc. 

RD  2,  Box  457,  Harvard,  MA  01451. 

Telephone  617/456-3661. 

12  issues,  $29.  Single  issue,  $4. 

Publisher:  Kirtland  H.  Olson 
Editor:  Eric  K.  Olson 
Consulting  Editor:  Ann  L.  Zevnik 
Technical  Consultant:  Kirtland  H.  Olson 

©  Syntax  ZX80,  Inc.,  1984.  All  rights  reserved. 
Photocopying  prohibited.  ISSN  0273-2696 


OUR  POLICY  ON  CONTRIBUTED  MATERIAL 

SYNTAX  invites  you  to  express  opinions  related  to  any  Sinclair  or  Timex  com¬ 
puter  or  peripheral,  or  the  newsletter.  We  will  print,  as  space  allows,  letters  discuss¬ 
ing  items  of  general  interest.  Of  course  we  reserve  the  right  to  edit  letters  to  a 
suitable  length  and  to  refuse  publication  of  any  material. 

We  welcome  program  listings  for  all  levels  of  expertise,  written  in  either  Sinclair 
BASIC  or  Z80  machine  code.  Programs  can  be  for  any  fun  or  useful  purpose.  We 
will  test  run  each  one  before  publishing  it,  but  we  will  not  debug  programs;  please 
send  only  workable  listings.  PK)grams  submitted  on  cassette  can  be  tested  more 
quickly  and  with  less  chance  of  error. 

In  return  for  your  listing,  we  will  pay  you  a  token  fee  of  $2.00  per  program  we 
use.  This  payment  gives  us  the  nonexclusive  right  to  use  that  program  in  any  form, 
world-wide.  This  means  you  can  still  use  it,  sell  it,  or  give  it  away,  and  so  can  we. 

We  will  consider  submissions  of  news  and  hardware  or  software  reviews.  Please 
keep  articles  short  (350-400  words).  Again,  we  reserve  the  right  to  edit  accepted 
articles  to  suitable  length.  We  will  pay  7  cents  per  6  characters,  including  spaces  and 
punctuation,  for  accepted  articles. 

When  you  send  in  articles  for  possible  publication  in  SYNTAX,  please  include 
the  following  information: 

•  How  to  operate  the  program,  including  what  to  input  if  it  does  not  contain 
prompts. 

•  Whether  you  can  run  the  program  over  again  and  how. 

•  How  to  exit  the  program. 

•  The  Syntactic  Sum  (program  published  in  June  81; 
send  SASE  for  a  free  copy). 

•  What  RAM  size  program  requires. 

•  What  ROM  program  uses  (8K,  2068,  Spectrum). 

•  For  MC  programs,  what  addresses  must  change  to  relocate  the  code  and  what 
ROM  calls  are  used. 

We  pay  for  this  explanatory  text  at  the  same  rate  as  we  pay  for  articles  in  addi¬ 
tion  to  payment  for  the  program  itself. 

If  you  want  us  to  return  your  original  program  listing  or  article,  please  include 
a  self-addressed,  stamped  envelope.  Otherwise,  we  cannot  return  submitted  material. 


CLASSIFIED  ADS 

Reach  thousands  of  ZX/TS  users — for 
just  $9/line!  Send  your  typed  copy 
(35  characters  per  line)  with  check 
or  MO  to  reach  us  by  the  15th  to  be 
published  in  the  next  issue  exactly 
as  typed.  No  fractions  or  cent 
symbols.  Include  your  phone  number 
with  the  ad  even  if  not  in  ad. 

SYNTAX  Classified 
RD  2  Box  457,  Harvard,  MA  01451 

ZX~CALC ;Elec  Sprdsht; 15X30  grid;8cr 
/cell;str  labl ,valu,forml;All  ZX81 
fnctns ;Cursor  ent ,dlt ,alg; Vert  wdwg 
Abslt/reltv  replctn; SUM/Autocalc  fn 
Comptbl  ZX/TS  prntr;  $11.95 ;A,Rodrig 
uez ,1605Penn.Av,2  04 ,Mia.Bch,FL33139 

VIEWord;  TS-2068  WORD  PROCESSING!! 
Full  range  of  editing  &  formatting 
features  for  80  column  printers  and 
AERCO  interface  or  TS-2040.  Easy  & 
versatile!  $25  from  Jim  Clatfelter 
646  Corwin  Ave.,  Glendale,  CA  91206 

SYNTAX  BACK  ISSUES  AVAILABLE 
You  can  get  every  issue  of  SYNTAX 
ever  printed:  over  3  years  of 
expertise.  Learn  what  makes  the 
ZX81/TS1000  tick,  and  how  to  make 
it  do  your  bidding.  Order  The 
Works  II  (SYNTAX  Nov'80-Dec*83  and 
SQ  Winter  82-Summer  83)  today! 

See  our  order  form  on  back  cover. 


Fill  out  the  coupon  below  and  mail  to:  SYNTAX,  RD  2,  Box  457, 

□  My  check  is  enclosed.  □  Please  charge  my  □  VISA 

Make  checks  Payable  to:  □  Diner’s  Club  □  Mastercard 

SYNTAX  ZX80,  Inc.  □  American  Express  □  Access 

□  Carte  Blanche  □  Barclaycard 


Account  number 

Exp.  date _ 

Signature  _ 

Name  _ 


Bank  number  (MC  only) 


Address 
City  _ 


State 


Phone:  Day  ( _ ) 


_  Zip 

Evening  ( _ ) 


□  My  subscription  number  is: 

□  This  is  a  new  subscription 


Harvard,  MA  01451  / 

YES!  Please  send  me: 

□  The  Combination  II  (13  issues  of  SYNTAX  and  SQ 


s6/84 


1  1 


Winter  82-Summer  83)  .  $39 

□  The  Catch-up  II  (SYNTAX  Jan.  82-Jan.  84,  SQ  Winter 

82-Summer  83,  plus  binder)  .  $77 

□  THE  WORKS  II  (SYNTAX  Nov.  80-Dec.  83,  SQ  Winter 

82-Summer  83,  plus  2  binders)  .  $97 

□  12  issues  of  SYNTAX  .  $29 

□  3  issues  of  Syntax  Quarterly  (Winter  82-Summer  83)  . .  $25 

□  1  issue  Syntax  Quarterly  □  Winter  82  ^  □  Spring  83 

□  Summer  83  .  $9 

□  1  Binder  .  $9  0  1  issue  of  Syntax .  $4 

Telephone  orders  call 
617-456-3661 

These  offers  expire  7/15/84  —  SUBSCRIBE  NOW. 


SYNTAX 


THEIR  LOSS  IS  TOHR  GAIN 

Quan 

Code  Item  Price 

Amt 

A  major  software  retailer  went  belly  up. 

WRK  The  Works  II  plus  any 
three  items  below. 

89  7 

so  we  can  bring  you  these  great  values! 
Get  THE  WORKS  now  and  take,  absolutely 

My  preferences 

for  3  FREE  products  are: 

FREE,  any  three  of  these  valuable 

1  1  1  \  1  r 

products  for  your  ZX/TS  computer. 

1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th 

I  also  want  to  purchase  these  product 

s : 

Includes: 

HCB  The  ZX81/TS1000  Home 
Computer  Book 

89 

*  THE  WORKS  II,  our  complete 

FLT  Flieht  Simulator 

collection  of  SYNTAX  and  SQ 

VUC  Vu-Calc 

through  December  1983 — three 

FRG  Froeeer 

"8^ 

years  of  our  experience  and 

ORG  The  Organizer 

8^ 

expertise  for  your  ZX81/TS1000. 

BDG  The  Budgeter 

$6" 

AMT  Loan/Mortgage  Amort izer 

Pins  yonr  choice  of  any  three: 

CHE  The  Checkbook  Manager 

“fT 

CPN  The  Coupon  Manager 

86^ 

*  The  ZX81/TS1000  Hone  Computer 

CAR  The  Car  Pooler 

sT 

Booh — one  of  the  finest  books 

STP  The  Stamp  Collector 

8^ 

about  the  ZX/TS,  including 

STK  Stock  Option  Analvzer 

8^ 

beginning  and  advanced  BASIC, 

MAT  Super  Math 

8^ 

machine  code,  memory  maps,  ROM 

STC  States  and  Capitals 

“JT 

calls,  code  charts,  and  more! 

CCC  Chess  and  Chess  Clock 

$6~ 

BGM  Backgammon  and  Dice 

•  Vu-Calc,  Frogger,  Flight 

GAM  The  Gambler 

~jr 

Simulator,  or  any  of  the  other 

CUB  The  Cube  Game 

Timex  software  packages  listed  on 

GFT  Grimm's  Fairy  Trails 

our  order  form — thousands  of 
these  sold  at  ^10  to  1^20  each! 

We  pay  all  P+H  for  P+H  (^1/item) 

WRK  and  FREE  products.  TOTAL 

SYNTAX,  RD  2  Box  457,  Harvard,  HA  01451 

[]  Check  (payable  to  SYNTAX  ZX80)  enclosed 
Due  to  limited  supply,  we  ask  you  to  list  []  MC  []  VISA  []  AMEX  []  Diners  Club 

five  preferential  choices  on  the  order  Account  Number  ■ _ 

form.  We  will  do  our  best  to  deliver  your  Exp.  Date  _  Bank  Number  (MC)  _ 

top  three  choices.  Products  may  be  Signature  _ 

ordered  seperately  at  the  prices  listed  on  Name  _ 

the  order  form.  We  pay  all  shipping  for  Address  _ 

THE  WORKS  and  your  3  free  products.  City  _  State  _  Zip  _ 

Shipping  for  additional  products  ^1/item.  Phone  Day  ( _ ) _  Night  ( _ ) _ 

[]  I  am  already  a  subscriber  to  SYNTAX 

This  offer  expires  7/15/84,  so  order  now!  TELEPHONE  ORDERS  CALL  (617)  456-3661 

12 


l-l\RV\RD 

GROLP 

Bolton  Road.  Harvard.  Mass.  01451 


First  Class 


U.S.  Postage 
PAID 

Harvard,  MA 
Permit  No.  8 
01451 


MR  WILLIAM  TOMLINSON 
3635  RIVEREDGE  DR.  ' 
JACKSONVILLE 


©5SSXU68 


RL  32211 


J 

U 

L 

S